Field
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device capable of easily recognizing an appearance of a package while making an inside of the package observable after sealing.
Background
Semiconductor devices that come with a semiconductor chip such as a transistor, diode or IC contained in a metallic, ceramic or resin package are used for various electronic apparatuses. When a foreign matter is mixed into the package of such a semiconductor device, even if no abnormality is detected in an electric characteristic inspection before shipment, the foreign matter may be deformed or part of a component thereof may cause the semiconductor chip to deteriorate while in use after shipment, thereby causing an abnormality in electric characteristics of the semiconductor device. For this reason, the interior of the package and the top surface of the semiconductor chip are observed using an optical microscope to check for the mixed foreign matter during assembly. However, the foreign matter may be mixed in after the inspection of the foreign matter inside the package until sealing, and it is not possible to detect a product with a mixed foreign matter if no abnormality is detected in electric characteristics at a point in time of an electric characteristic inspection after sealing. In contrast, a semiconductor device is proposed which uses a transparent package that facilitates visual recognition of a sealed IC (e.g., see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-881).
A mark indicating the direction of an electrode, product name and manufacturing number or the like is printed on the package. However, when a package transparent to visible light is used, the mark printed on the package overlaps with an inner structure that sees through the package, making it difficult to read the mark. It is also difficult to detect damages on the package surface in an appearance inspection.